Fintech Pleo appoints former Monzo CEO to management team

Pleo has announced the appointment of its new CTO as part of fintech’s growth strategy.

Meri Williams, who previously worked with Monzo, joins Pleo as the fintech’s new Chief Technology Officer for the UK and Ireland.

Pleo, which claims to be Europe’s leading solution for business expenses, specializes in supporting small and medium-sized businesses with the transition to a digital finance and payment space. Fintech is also investing in strategic talent for the UKI team as a result of continued scaling within the company.

New Pleo CTO to drive scaling technology initiative

According to reports, Williams’ experience in her previous roles saw her play an integral role in advancing the team’s clinical pipeline by taking charge of Healnet, Healx’s AI-powered drug discovery platform. Her team was also instrumental in scaling world-class technology teams to find treatments for rare disease patients faster, smarter and safer.

Williams has been involved in a variety of sectors including medtech, fintech, government, e-commerce, telecommunications and manufacturing. Her engagement with Monzo saw him help scale the engineering and data team by 500% and lead a significant investment in platform resilience and business continuity as Monzo’s customer base grew to over four million.

She is also a published author and international speaker, and is chair of The Lead Developer conference which, since its inception in 2015, has expanded to London, New York, Berlin and San Francisco. Meri and her wife Elly are an active supporter of better representation in technology roles, sponsoring scholarships to help more girls start STEM careers in their hometown of Stellenbosch, South Africa, through micro-charity One Goes Up, as well as arts scholarships and Women in Technology scholarship at the University of Bath. She also serves as a board trustee for Stonewall, the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ rights organisation.

The Pleo expansion is planned for 2023

Williams joins Pleo at a pivotal time in the company’s growth. Over the past two years, Pleo has expanded into six new markets in Europe, and by 2022, users on the platform across the continent have doubled, while transaction volumes have tripled.

Founded in Copenhagen in 2015 by fintech veterans Jeppe Rindom and Niccolo Perra, both serial entrepreneurs with years of experience building successful financial products. Pleo employs over 900 people across seven European office locations, including London, Stockholm, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Lisbon and Copenhagen). Over 25,000 companies use Pleo across 14 European markets as the company expands its reach.

Pleo has also partnered with a number of dynamic marketplace players, including Hello Fresh, Byron Burger and E.ON Next. This momentum has occurred after Pleo reached unicorn status in 2021 when it raised $350 million in Series C funding.

Currently, Pleo is valued at $4.7 billion, making it one of the most valuable fintech startups.

Speaking about her new role leading Pleo’s technology journey, Williams said: “Over the past few years, I have witnessed Pleo evolve from a potential disruptor in the business expense management market to become an essential platform for thousands of companies across Europe. Technology is at the heart of Pleo’s digitized approach, and with the momentum of growth in the business, this has set the stage for an exciting technology journey for myself and their world-class technology team, who I look forward to meeting and working with.”

Nicco Perra, co-founder at Pleo, commented: “We are delighted to have Meri join the Pleo team. She brings a wealth of industry experience to Pleo and Meri’s background in using technology and data insights to generate value for businesses is a perfect fit with Pleo’s growth plans – as well as our continued role in helping businesses gain greater control and visibility over their spend As a valued voice for LGBTQ+ rights and the role of women in technology, as well as rapidly scaling technology organizations, Meri has simultaneously improved team diversity, inclusion and ways of working. This fits with Pleo’s desire to foster workplaces, including its own, based on belonging, where everyone feels valued. Meri will be an incredible force for us and the companies we work with.”